State Sen. John Braun will challenge US Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for Washington's 3rd District seat

Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times on Aug 12, 2025

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Washington state Senate Republican leader John Braun will challenge U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, giving the GOP a new shot at retaking Southwest Washington’s swing 3rd Congressional District.

Braun announced his 2026 congressional bid in a statement Tuesday, saying he looks forward to working with President Donald Trump “on a positive agenda that gets America back on the right track.”

With Republicans holding only a slender majority in the U.S. House, the 3rd District race could again prove key to which party controls Congress after the midterm elections.

In her past two races, Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washougal, defeated Joe Kent, the Army Special Forces veteran personally endorsed by Donald Trump.

Kent’s associations with far-right fringe figures and contempt for compromise with Democrats — or even moderate Republicans — opened the door for Gluesenkamp Perez, then a virtually unknown auto shop co-owner, to narrowly win the 3rd District in 2022 in a nationally watched upset. She won a rematch with Kent last year.

Kent was picked by Trump to lead the National Counterterrorism Center and was confirmed by the Senate in July.

Compared to Kent, who had never held elected office, Braun is a more conventional Republican candidate. He has been in the Legislature since 2013, serving on the Senate budget-writing committee and as minority leader. He was reelected last fall to another four-year term, facing no opposition.

Braun, 58, is president of Braun Northwest, an emergency vehicle manufacturing company founded by his parents. He served 31 years in the U.S. Navy, both on active and reserve duty, rising to the rank of captain.

“Whether in the Navy, running a small business, or serving in the state legislature, I’ve always focused on solving tough problems, clearing roadblocks, and helping others succeed,” Braun said in his announcement Tuesday. “In Congress, I’ll bring that same approach — working to lower costs for families, support American manufacturing, and expand opportunities for family-wage jobs here at home.”

Gluesenkamp Perez, 37, co-chairs the centrist Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats, which emphasizes “fiscally responsible” and bipartisan policies. She has at times angered the progressive wing of her party by siding with Republicans on issues, including opposition to forgiving college loan debt.

She has raised more than $1.5 million for her reelection bid.

In a statement, Gluesenkamp Perez criticized Braun as “a career politician who has spent his time in Olympia catering to special interests” and said it was “no surprise that the D.C. swamp has recruited him to run for Congress.”

“They know they can count on him to maintain business as usual which is saddling future generations with enormous debt and giving even more handouts to special interests,” she said.

With a long stretch to go before the 2026 election ballot filing deadline next spring, more candidates could still pile into the race.

Two lesser-known contenders have already filed with the Federal Election Commission, but have struggled to muster campaign cash.

Brent Hennrich, a Democrat who has criticized Gluesenkamp Perez for siding with Republicans on some votes, has raised about $7,000. Antony Barran, a Republican, has raised about $9,000.

During his time in the Legislature, Braun has not been known as a vocal Trump defender, preferring to focus on state issues. In 2023, he acknowledged the party’s allegiance to Trump had hurt it in suburban districts, saying, “If we’re going to win, we’ve got to change.”

But as he prepared to launch his congressional campaign, Braun forcefully defended and praised Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” criticizing Democrats, including Gov. Bob Ferguson, who have warned that its massive cuts to Medicaid will threaten hospitals and kick people off health insurance.

“There’s no crisis,” Braun said in a statement recently on his legislative website.

He dismissed the criticisms by Democrats as “just a lot of political grumbling” from politicians “taking more of your money through their tax increases,” while showing no interest in “reforming inefficient government programs and systems.”